June 20, 2018

Trump getting snookered on illegal immigrant children detention

Forget the fact that these detentions predate president Trump. Forget the fact that Republican lawmakers didn't act on the president's wall when they had the opportunity. Forget the fact that Democrats manufactured this sudden 'crisis'. The president is being played and he's getting snookered and by signing an executive order he's choosing a bad path. He's snookered because by not signing an executive order on the issues was also a bad path.

The fact that the president is facing a real crisis in public relations on the issue means the president has to sign an executive order to mollify the critics. Not signing it meant a lot of political fallout come the November midterm elections. It means a potential re-emergence of a blue wave election. It probably wouldn't have happened but it was a possible outcome. The White House did not effectively communicate that the problem predates him, and that Congress needs to change the law. Having been more effective the president would not be facing this crisis. But not doing something about children of illegal immigrants being separated from their parents is no longer feasible at this point.

On the other hand, signing it allows a rule deviation that the president's supporters would rather not have seen. That's political fallout. Furthermore, it creates a logistical problem for housing these families together - how are they going to shelter these people? And if it is able to do so, it's taking away from Americans in need of shelters, which has its own bad optics.

But maybe the president still gets the Trump card on this. If groups like the ACLU sue to block the president's executive order, then they look like they are the anti-humanitarian politically driven ones in this case. And maybe this ramps up Republicans to do something about the law, and sooner rather than later.